Description

Lead the Future of Drug Discovery for Childhood Catastrophic Diseases

We are seeking an exceptional scientific leader to drive transformative drug discovery programs focused on some of the most challenging diseases affecting children. This senior leadership role offers the opportunity to shape the next generation of therapeutics by leveraging cutting-edge proximity-based targeting technologies and pioneering chemical biology approaches.

Working at the forefront of innovation, you will lead efforts to design and develop novel therapeutic strategies, including protein degraders, synthetic gene regulators, and functional effectors, to modulate disease-driving targets in pediatric oncology, neurodegenerative disorders, and sickle cell disease. Guided by deep mechanistic insights into disease biology, you will help translate breakthrough science into life-changing therapies for patients with urgent unmet medical needs.

Candidates with experience applying advanced computational approaches, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to virtual screening, molecular design, and lead optimization are especially encouraged to apply. This is a unique opportunity to combine scientific excellence, strategic leadership, and emerging technologies to accelerate the discovery of groundbreaking medicines for children around the world.

• Set up the chemistry strategy for projects and advance drug discovery programs by collaboratively interacting cross-functionally within departmental collaborative centers and various departments at the institution. Lead and manage a team of scientists and large-scale, multidisciplinary projects through proactive research collaboration, and provide direction in specific area of expertise.
• Contribute to recruiting and growing the team, guiding and mentoring junior staff.
• Stay at the forefront of induced proximity platforms, including but not limited to PROTACs, molecular glues, and other bifunctional or allosteric modulators.
• Evaluate new technologies, chemical tools, and screening platforms that can accelerate the development of proximity-based therapeutics.and optimize focused chemical libraries to identify hits, leads, and drug candidates that induce selective protein interactions and cellular phenotypic changes.
• Maintain collaborative partnerships while ensuring recognition on collaborating publications and patents.
• Lead and manage a number of contract research organizations (CRO) and external chemistry partners across the globe.
• Oversee structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies to enhance potency, selectivity, and drug-like properties of candidate molecules. Lead efforts to improve the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and toxicological profiles of compounds in collaboration with ADMET and DMPK teams.
• Serve as functional expert in due diligences for assets in-licensing and discovery partnerships.
• Responsible for leading publication efforts in high-impact scientific journals.
• Experience in drug discovery in Pharma/Biotech industry highly preferred.
• Experience with computational design or AI/ML preferred.
  PhD with management experience preferred.

Requirements

Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant scientific area is required.
• PhD preferred.
   

Minimum Experience:

• Fifteen (15) years of relevant work experience is required with a Bachelor's degree.
• Thirteen (13) years of relevant work experience is required with a Master's degree.
• Ten (10) years or relevant work experience is required with a PhD.